New Watershed Plan Being Developed for the Sandwich Area
The City of Sandwich is currently leading a watershed-based planning effort on approximately 10,500 acres in the Little Rock Creek Watershed (see below). The watershed includes portions of DeKalb, Kendall and LaSalle counties.
The City of Sandwich applied for and was awarded a Section 319 Watershed-based Planning grant through the Clean Water Act which is distributed by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA).
A watershed-based plan requires the grantee to complete nine required elements identified by USEPA before a plan can be approved by the IEPA. Once a plan is approved, stakeholders within the watershed will have access to 319 Grant funding for watershed improvement projects that are recommended in the plan.
To have a successful plan stakeholders are encouraged to be involved in the process. It is their watershed they live and, in most cases, work in it.
Agriculture makes up 68% of this watershed and has a major influence on how the watershed functions and how it can impact non-point source pollutants. Non-point source pollutants are anything that can enter a stream, lake, wetland, and the groundwater via surface runoff, precipitation, and seepage.
If a farmer or landowner is aware of issues within the watershed they are encouraged to participate in this process. The more information that is gathered the better the plan will be as it will identify these critical areas so they can be documented in the plan.
A virtual meeting is being planned for early February by the City of Sandwich and Applied Ecological Services to document issues and plan goals. Please visit the City of Sandwich website at www.sandwich.il.us for more information.
To learn more about the watershed planning in DeKalb County visit www.dekalbcountywatersheds-il.org. This site will provide you information on the Little Rock Creek Project as well as the completed plans for the East Branch and the Upper South Branch of the Kishwaukee River Watersheds. You can also contact Dean Johnson at the DeKalb County Soil and Water Conservation District at Dean.Johnson@il.nacdnet.net or call 815-756-3234, ext. 9488. A virtual meeting is being planned for early February by the City of Sandwich and Applied Ecological Services to document issues and plan goals. Please visit the City of Sandwich website at www.sandwich.il.us for more information.